Dispenser for straws and the like



April 18, 1950 v. w. sAFRANsKl DISPENSER EOE sTRAws AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1948 INVENTOR. V/'ncen W50/randa BY @0W/M TTP/VEYS April 18 1950 1v.w. sAFRANsKl 2,504,733

DISPENSER FOR sTRAws AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 2 3 /9 7/ /5 1:1 :n 5. 7V ,/r/ fl 3 lo /7 9 24 /5 5k IY /s 2a atented pr. 18, 19570 U Nl TED l STATES Ars-Nr OFFICE-1 ascuas DISPENSER FoRs'rRAWsANp 'rHELrKE vincent W."1Safranskii-Tleda; OhioA App'licationlliebnuary 17, 1948, Serial No. 8,9?|8- 1.0mm, (ol. arzt-sisi This invention 'relates to improvements in.. dispensing .apparatus of the type employed for eiect.- ingstraws or other .small;slendery articles from a container..

An object of the invention is the provision of a novel dispensing-.apparatusof this class of simplel andl eicient constructionwith few opegrable parts, and which is easily operated to ejectindividual articles from the container.

Furtherob'jects-'and advantages of the invention will'be apparent from the following detailed descriptionand from the accompanyingdrawings illustratingfone, .embodiment thereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a .perspective view of..an apparatus embodying the invention, with'oneA article shown in fully .ejected picking-upiposition; Fig.2 is a horizontal cross-.sectionon the* line 2-...2 iniFig 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged vertical sections on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, with the movable parts in different positions of operation, and Fig. is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, I designates a boxlike container of rectangular form in cross-section having a removable top 2 and being of suitable depth to hold a quantity of straws or other articles 3 to be dispensed. The bottom 4, which 'is downwardly and forwardly inclined. is disposed a distance above the base edge of the container to provide a space 5 below and a space 6 above the bottom in which latter the articles 3 are contained. The front wall 'l of the container terminates short of the lower container edge to provide a dispensing opening 8, and the bottom 4 at its front lower end terminates short of said iront wall substantially the width or diameter of the articles 3, and then continues down to the base edge of the container in the form of a wall or partition 9. This partition cooperates with the front wall I to form a vertical chute or dispensing way I0 leading to the top of the front opening 8.

Article supporting fingers II project forwardly from the lower portion of the partition 9 through and forwardly of the opening 8 a distance below the top of such opening substantially equal to the diameter of the articles 3, as shown. The ngers II are spaced lengthwise of the opening 8 and each has a shallow cross recess I2 at the inner end of its top side edge in vertical register with and substantially the width of the dispensing way I0 to provide seats for the lowermost article 3 in said way and prevent it from continuing by gravity out through the opening 8. The top edge of ngers I I extend downward, forward and then 2. upward from the front edges of therecessesIZ to provide concaved seats I3 to support the arti cles in handigrasping `position when ejected from therecesses I2.

The article agitating and dispensing. kmeans for the articles 3 includes a shaft' I5 mounted length-- wise of' the container within the .space l'.'arid journaled at its ends. in the endwalls .and carrying cross pieces I'I in spaced relation lxength wise thereof, The upper ends of the crosspieces I1 engage the 'under Sides of asitatie lingers 18 to irritiert vertical reciting .incrementstht when the shaft is roclged iria direction. tomove thewupper .ends of the members il forward. 'I he lingers ,I8l are pivoted at their rear ends" in;t 1v1fe rear ef 'the Container lslightly .bel'w the bott'ri 'Las shown at -igyfand theileers project Yflivariiv thereiiom adjacent to the p artit 9 arid are-provided on their 'tops' withVon-e or more spurs 2i] for projecting up through registering slots 2l in the forward edge portion of the bottom 4 to engage and eiect agitation of the articles 3 in the lower portion of the space 6 when the fingers 8 are raised.

The lower ends of the cross members I1 engage loosely in openings 22 in an ejector slide 23, which is guided for horizontal reciprocatory movements with its forward end working through a slot 24 in the partition 9 immediately above the recesses I2 in the fingers Il. The ejector 23 is guided by strips 25 on the ends of the container and when the ejector slide is moved forward its forward edge portion engages and ejects an article 3 from the recesses I2, and in such position is disposed under the next article in order and supports the column of such articles in the dispensing way l0, as shown in Fig. 4. When the slide 23 is retracted, the column of articles in Y the way i0 lower the width of one article so that the lowermost article in the column then rests in the recesses I2.

The shaft i5 with its cross members il is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 4, with the slide 23 projected forward and the agitating finger I8 lowered by a coiled contractile spring 26 connecting an arm 21 on the shaft to an anchoring part 28 at the rear of the container. In this position the slide 23 is held forward in discharge-way obstructing position and the agitating nger I8 is supported in lowered position with the ends of its spurs 20 lbelow the top surface of the oor 4 so as to permit the articles 3 to freely pass down the door to the discharge-way ID. When the shaft I5 is released after having been rocked to the position shown in Fig. 3, it is returned by the action of the spring to the Anormal position shown in Fig. 4, and the lowermost article 3 in the way I0, which is then resting in the recesses I2, will be ejected forward from such recesses into the larger recesses or seats I3 of the ngers II. The shaft I5 projects beyond one end of the container I, the right end in the present instance, and is provided with an arm 3G which preferably extends upwardly and forwardly from the shaft to convenient position at the forward end of the container for easy manipulation. In the present instance, two agitating fingers I8 and two rocker members I'I are provided so that the movable parts of the apparatus comprise merely the ejector slide 23, the two fingers I8 and the rocker shaft I with its cross membersl I1.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the Vspirit of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

Y In an apparatus of the class described, a container for articles to be dispensed, said container having` a front wall and a bottom inclined downwardly and forwardly to a point adjacent said front'wall, said front wall having an article discharge opening in its lower portion, guide means extending downwardly from the forward edge of said bottom at the rear of said front wall and cooperating therewith to form a discharge-way leading from the container space above the bottom to said opening, means forming article rests in register with Vthe lower end of said discharge- Way and disposed a distance below the top of said opening corresponding substantially to the diameter of the articles to be dispensed whereby an article resting on said last means will support the next succeeding article at a position in said way above the top edge of said opening, ejector means reciprocally movable over said rest to eject an article therefrom and then to be retracted to permit another article to lower from the discharge-way onto the rest, agitatng fingers pivoted below said bottom and projecting forwardly thereunder and rockable to project parts thereof up through the bottom and into article agitating position in the container, Ia. rock-shaft disposed between said lingers and ejector means, cross members on said shaft engaging said lingers and ejector means and operable by a rocking of the shaft in one direc- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,396,720 Mouawad Nov. 8, 1921 2,218,041 Hutaff Oct. 15, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Y Date 80,784 Germany Apr. 29, 1895 

